JHARSUGUDA, JULY 16: Nearly 41 years after they were declared rehabilitated
by the government, the 40 tribal families of Gandghora Adivasi Colony in
Brajrajnagar are yet to get pattas for the land promised by the Orissa
government. Since 1958-59, they have been moving from pillar to post,
seeking justice from the state Harijan and Tribal Welfare Department (HTWD),
but to no avail.

As per records, the Department constructed 40 houses for the rehabilitation
of the tribal families belonging to the Muna, Bhuyan, Ganda, Sahara and
Khadiya communities. Each family was provided five acres of agricultural
land, two bullocks and agricultural implements, as shown by the records.

According to sources in the Social Welfare Department of Brajrajnagar
district, the tribal welfare department had submitted all the documents,
including map of the colony and land schedule, to the tehsildar, Jharsuguda,
for settlement of land in favour of the rehabilitated tribals on August 27,
1971. They say the matter has been kept pending by the tehsil office,
Jharsuguda. The Jharsuguda tehsildhar, on his part, maintains that the land
records of the rehabilitated tribals cannot be traced.

Representatives of the tribals say they met and appealed to various wings of
the government over the past 30 years, but no justice was done. Some of
them, Kartik Marai, Somanath Munda and Iswar Choudhury, told The Indian
Express that they had also been denied the basic amenities by the government
as their colony was yet to be declared a revenue village.